Breaking Down Louisville's 2022 Early Signing Period

The Cardinals was able to secure 18 National Letters of Intent on the first day of the early signing period.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Facing a plethora of uncertainty with their recruiting class given the head coaching change, the Louisville football program was able to overcome that and take a step in the right direction on Wednesday. On the first day of the 2022 Early Signing Period, the Cardinals were able to secure 18 Letters of Intent from their Class of 2023.

Who are the signees?

Quarterback

• *QB Pierce Clarkson (Highlights and Evaluation)

Offensive Skill Positions:

• RB Keyjuan Brown (Highlights and Evaluation)
• ^WR Jimmy Calloway (Commitment Article)
• *WR William Fowles (Highlights and Evaluation)
• *WR Cataurus Hicks (Highlights and Evaluation)
• WR Jahlil McClain (Highlights and Evaluation)
• ^WR Jadon Thompson (Commitment Article)

Offensive Linemen:

• *OT Luke Burgess (Highlights and Evaluation)
• *OG Madden Sanker (Highlights and Evaluation)

Defensive Linemen:

• DE Micah Carter (Highlights and Evaluation)
• DE/DT Saadiq Clements (Highlights and Evaluation)
• *DE Adonijah Green (Highlights and Evaluation)
• ^DE Stephen Herron (Commitment Article)
• ^DE/DT Rodney McGraw (Commitment Article)

Linebackers:

• *MLB Stanquan Clark (Highlights and Evaluation)

Secondary:

• CB Aaron Williams (Highlights and Evaluation)
• ^DB Myles Slusher (Commitment Article)
• ^S Devin Neal (Commitment Article)

*Early Enrollee
^Transfer

Who is Louisville still targeting?

For those keeping track at home, the Cardinals had 18 signees on the first day of the Early Signing Period, but have 20 overall commits in the class across both the high school ranks and transfer portal.

It has been a heated battle between Louisville and Texas for 2023 wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., and he was originally supposed to sign Wednesday before he no-showed at St. John Bosco's signing ceremony. 2023 tight end Jamari Johnson, who Oregon is heavy after, opted to delay his announcement until Jan. 7 for the All-American Game.

As far as non-commits go, there are a few players on Louisville's immediate radar, especially in the transfer portal. Former Texas A&M cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew, former North Carolina cornerback Storm Duck and former Mississippi State running back Dillon Johnson - all three of whom visited campus last weekend - are names to keep an eye on.

There's also a pair of current 2023 Purdue commits that are potential Louisville flips. Tight end George Burhenn will sign this friday, while defensive end - and Louisville native - William 'Woo' Spencer won't sign until the traditional signing day in February.

Of course, they're still planning on hitting the transfer portal hard and heavy. Specifically, head coach Jeff Brohm said in his signing day press conference that they "probably will add a quarterback" and that they're "looking to add a couple" offensive lineman in the portal.

Who was the best recruit to sign?

Sure, when you go by pure recruiting rankings, Madden Sanker and Aaron Williams were the two best high school prospects to sign on Wednesday. But the most impactful was undoubtedly Pierce Clarkson. Outside of anyone on Louisville's staff, he and his father, Steve, were the architects of this class and had a major hand in getting most of the top flight recruits in the fold due to peer-to-peer recruiting.

As far as the six transfers up to this point, it's a toss-up between Stephen Herron and Myles Slusher. Herron will allow Louisville to not have a drastic drop-off at defensive end with YaYa Diaby graduating, and Slusher is a versatile player that brings SEC-caliber experience and production.

Where did Louisville excel in the Early Signing Period?

Given how much Louisville struggled in the passing games this past season thanks in part to a perceived lack of depth at the wide receiver spot, this was an area where Louisville needed to upgrade - especially considering the depth they are losing at this position - and they succeeded. Thompson should contend for starting reps with returner Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, and Calloway has potential if he can tap into what made him a top-150 prospect and find his stride. Not to mention that both William Fowles and Jahlil McClain have long term potential. Wide receiver will be even better if Louisville can keep DeAndre Moore Jr. in the fold.

Louisville also did well when it came to the defensive line. Herron will likely be a starter as previously mentioned, Rodney McGraw should be a key depth piece in the middle of the line, and Adonijah Green has the potential to see meaningful snaps in year one. Micah Carter and Saadiq Clements have good long term upside as well.

What positions do they need to hit next?

When looking at the overall list of signees when sorted by position, it's pretty easy to figure out what needs to be addressed the most. Stanquan Clark is a phenomenal addition, but with Louisville losing Yasir Abdullah, MoMo Sanogo, Dorian Jones and (maybe?) Monty Montgomery, linebacker is arguably priority No. 1. Their second-biggest concern is at offensive line, considering the only regular starter they are returning is center Bryan Hudson.

Who did the best job on the recruiting trail?

Some major, major recognition needs to go to two people in particular. With so many assistant coaches departing the program and potentially leaving the entire recruiting class in flux, recruiting coordinators Pete Nochta and John 'Coach Hova' Herron were able to keep this class almost completely intact as they transitioned between Scott Satterfield and Jeff Brohm. Sure, Louisville did lose a couple commitments along the way, but they didn't lose nearly as much as a program typically does when changing coaches. Nochta, Herron, and everyone that assisted them deserve their flowers.

(Photo of Pierce Clarkson via University of Louisville Athletics)

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